Are you a seasoned software engineer who thrives on building scalable systems and solving complex problems? At NerdWallet, our mission is to empower consumers with the financial clarity they need to make confident decisions. As a Staff Software Engineer, you’ll go beyond coding to architect and implement secure, reliable systems that handle sensitive financial data. Collaborating with cross-functional teams—including product managers, data scientists, and business stakeholders—you’ll translate ambitious ideas into user-friendly, impactful applications.
This role is pivotal in designing, building, and optimizing robust systems that enhance our financial products and elevate the customer experience in the Insurance vertical (Auto, Home, Life, Medicare, Travel, Pet). You’ll also provide technical mentorship, establish coding best practices, and guide teams through complex problem-solving. At NerdWallet, you’ll be instrumental in driving our product strategy forward while maintaining high standards for security, scalability, and innovation.
Where you can make an impact:
- Lead the design, development, and maintenance of our core financial services platform, with a focus on scalability, reliability, and security.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Product, Design, Business Development, Organic Growth, and the performance Marketing team to translate business requirements into technical solutions that meet high standards for quality and functionality.
- Architect, build and implement APIs and microservices that power our FinTech products, focusing on system performance, security, and data integrity.
- Mentor and provide technical guidance to engineering team members, promoting best practices in coding, testing, and architecture.
- Conduct code reviews to ensure code quality, performance, and adherence to standards, fostering a culture of continuous improvement within the engineering team.
- Act as a subject matter expert in consumer credit, lending, loans, or insurance, providing insights that help shape the product roadmap and ensure compliance with industry standards.
- Contribute to platform stability and resilience through effective monitoring, troubleshooting, and incident management.
- Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in the fintech industry, particularly around payments, lending, credit, and insurance, to drive innovation within the team.
Your experience:
We recognize not everyone will meet all of the criteria. If you meet most of the criteria below and you’re excited about the opportunity and willing to learn, we’d love to hear from you.
- 8+ years in software engineering, with a strong front-end, back-end development and distributed systems background.
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
- Advanced knowledge of Typescript, React, and NextJS.
- Proficiency in modern programming languages such as Java, and Python.
- Strong knowledge of observability tools, such as DataDog or similar.
- Experience setting up dashboards, monitors, error reporting, etc
- Understands Core web vitals, caching, Critical rendering path, static generation
- Experience with microservices architecture, RESTful APIs, and cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
- Understanding of database systems (both SQL and NoSQL).
- Knowledge of security best practices, particularly in financial services.
Nice to have
- Experience in consumer credit, lending, loans, or insurance, with a solid understanding of industry regulations, underwriting processes, and risk assessment.
- Familiarity with GraphQL, and Data Analytics.
Where:
- This role will be remote (based in the U.S.).
- We believe great work can be done anywhere. No matter where you are based, NerdWallet offers benefits and perks to support the physical, financial, and emotional well being of you and your family.
What we offer:
Work Hard, Stay Balanced (Life’s a series of balancing acts, eh?)
- Industry-leading medical, dental, and vision health care plans for employees and their dependents
- Rejuvenation Policy – Vacation Time Off + 11 holidays + 4 Mental Health Days Off
- New Parent Leave for employees with a newborn child or a child placed with them for adoption or foster care
- Mental health support
- Paid sabbatical for Nerds to recharge, gain knowledge and pursue their interests
- Health and Dependent Care FSA and HSA Plan with monthly NerdWallet contribution
- Monthly Wellness Stipend, Cell Phone Stipend, and Wifi Stipend
- Work from home equipment stipend and co-working space subsidy
Have Some Fun! (Nerds are fun, too)
- Nerd-led group initiatives – Employee Resource Groups for Parents, Diversity, and Inclusion, Women, LGBTQIA, and other communities
- Hackathons and team events across all teams and departments
- Company-wide events like NerdLove (employee appreciation) and our annual Charity Auction
- Our Nerds love to make an impact by paying it forward – Take 8 hours of volunteer time off per quarter and donate to your favorite causes with a company match
Plan for your future (And when you retire on your island, remember the little people)
- 401K with company match
- Be the first to test and benefit from our new financial products and tools
- Financial wellness, guidance, and unlimited access to a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) through Northstar
- Disability and Life Insurance with employer-paid premiums
If you are based in California, we encourage you to read this important information for California residents linked here.
NerdWallet is committed to pursuing and hiring a diverse workforce and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We prohibit discrimination and harassment on the basis of any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, so all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.
NerdWallet participates in the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services E-Verify program for all US locations. For more information, please see:
- E-Verify Participation Poster (English+Spanish/Español)
- Right to Work Poster (English) / (Spanish/Español)
#LI-Remote
#LI-4
Base pay offered may vary within the posted range based on several factors, including but not limited to education, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location.
The pay range for this role is
$152,000—$282,000 USD
Top Skills
What We Do
At NerdWallet, we’re on a mission to provide clarity for all of life’s financial decisions. Every day, we help people find the right credit cards and mortgage rates, refinance their student loans, track their spending and so much more. We're proud to say that millions of people turn to Nerds for our objective advice, expert info, and helpful tools.
Speaking of Nerds — we're a passionate, mission-driven bunch. We know what's best for our business means doing what’s best for our consumers, and we foster professional growth while striking this balance. We work collaboratively and empathetically, guided by our company values: Hypothesize, Build, Measure, Learn; Drivers Before Solutions; Consumer, Company, Team, Self; Candid and Constructive; and Relentless Self-Improvement.
In 2019, Inc. included NerdWallet on its list of the Best Workplaces, and the San Francisco Business Times listed us as one of the 50 Greater Bay Area Financial Tech Companies. Beyond generous compensation packages, we also provide a range of benefits, including top-notch health, dental, and vision insurance; commuter and gym stipends; great PTO and both maternity and paternity leave; and catered breakfasts and lunches in our beautiful San Francisco office.
In 2020, NerdWallet expanded internationally. UK-based Know Your Money joined the NerdWallet family. Together, we aspire to provide the most comprehensive financial comparison website in the UK, while continuing to provide clarity for all of life’s financial decisions.
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